New Journal and Guide Staff
HAMPTON ROADS
Two prominent African-American political leaders have announced their candidacy for Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor. On Tuesday morning (April 23) Virginia Senator Aaron Rouse made his announcement shortly after Richmond’s Mayor Levar Stoney.
Rouse, 40, who hails from Virginia Beach, said, “Virginia is ready for a new generation of leaders to step up. That’s why I am running to be the next Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
Sen. Rouse, a former NFL player for the Green Bay Packers, currently represents State Senate District 7, which includes parts of the cities of Virginia Beach and Norfolk. After retiring from the National Football League, the Virginia Beach native returned home to Virginia Beach where he began his career in public service, first as a Virginia Beach City Councilman. On January 10, 2023, Rouse was elected to his Virginia State Senate seat.
“With extreme Republicans fixated on stripping our fundamental freedoms and funding corporate tax breaks on the backs of everyday Virginians, and Donald Trump on the ballot again, there is no margin for error. Democrats must retake control of our statewide offices in 2025,” Rouse said.
In Richmond, Mayor Levar Stoney made his announcement for lieutenant governor instead of governor in a press release on Tuesday morning. He had announced his candidacy for governor on Dec. 4.
“After careful consideration with my family, I believe that the best way to ensure that all Virginia families do get the change they deserve is for our party to come together, avoid a costly and damaging primary and, for me to run instead for lieutenant governor,” he said.
“Given everything at stake in the next Governor’s race – from reproductive rights to education funding and tax fairness – I believe this is a time when Democrats must stand united and avoid an ugly primary for governor,” Stoney said.
Stoney, 43, was sworn into office on December 31, 2016. At 35 years of age, he became Richmond’s youngest elected mayor.
Current Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, also African-American, is eligible to run again in 2026.
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